Despite recession, crime drops again

Despite a deep recession that has made millions desperate, crime fell more than five percent last year

USA TODAY

Two decades ago, crime was big news — and bad news. Violent crimes had been rising steadily since the 1960s, making Americans both angry and scared. In Washington, Republicans and Democrats sparred over who had the better solutions, in much the same way as they do now over health care and budgets. Shows such as COPS and America's Most Wanted were launched to huge audiences, and some local television stations experimented with crime-only news broadcasts.

Contrast this state of affairs with last week's announcement from the FBI that violent crime dropped 5.5% last year despite a deep recession that has made millions desperate. It was the third such drop in a row and a continuation of the downward trend going on for almost 20 years. News coverage of the event was perfunctory, the political posturing minimal.